Making the most of a 48-hours stopover

Start your Doha discovery with an early morning stroll along the four-mile Corniche, the city’s beating heart. It’s a great way to get your bearings and shake of any lingering jet lag while getting your fill of the scrolling West Bay skyline. Stop off for a morning coffee along the way.

Defy the rising temperatures by checking out some of the city’s world-class museums and galleries. The Museum of Islamic Art is one obvious starting point point when it reopens after temporary closure, with its fascinating and unique range of artefacts, from manuscripts and ceramics to textiles, set amid exquisitely manicured grounds.

Continue your cultural tour at the nearby National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ), capped by a long lunch at its excellent onsite restaurant, Jiwan. One of the city’s latest big bang attractions, having opened in 2019, NMoQ is the best place to get an insight into the history of the country and its people, the quality of its exhibits matched only by the building’s eye-catching design and the sumptuously landscaped grounds, replete with indigenous plants.

Come afternoon, assuming you aren’t ‘museumed or galleried out’, there are plenty of other excellent options to consider such as Al Riwaq Art Space; Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art; or the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum, just out of town. Or you could just spend more time exploring the city on foot, for example taking a self-guided photography tour of some of the incredible public art dotted across the city, with Gandhi’s Three Monkeys by Indian artist Subodh Gupta; Louise Bourgeois’ giant spider sculpture, Maman; and eL Seed’s 52 large ‘calligraffiti’ murals on Salwa Road just some of the highlights.

Sunset dhow cruises on the bay, which leave from the Corniche and typically last around 30 minutes, help to bridge the space between day and night. The lights on the traditional local wooden fishing boats add to the experience, not least if you’re in the market for a romantic atmosphere for the evening.

After the sun sets, scour the local events calendar to see if anything tickles your fancy at the city’s myriad hotel venues, or in areas such as Katara Cultural Village, which supports a packed programme of music, performance art and theatre. Then, having returned to the hotel to freshen up, head back out and push the boat out with a memorable dinner at one of the fabulous eateries such as Bayt Sharq, or Nobu Doha at the Four Seasons Hotel Doha.

Start the day with an exploration of Msheireb Downtown, grabbing a caffeine hit and a bite at one of the Instagrammable coffeeshops such as EL&N or Caffeinated before indulging in some serious retail therapy at Msheireb Galleria, literally a ‘one-stop shop’ for major international brands, luxury goods and other items. The region is the focus of the ongoing 75-acre Msheireb Downtown Doha project, which is transforming the former commercial area into what they hope will be the most sustainable downtown of any global capital.

Continue your shopping odyssey by strolling to nearby Souq Waqif, grabbing some snaps and selfies at key locations such as the Falcon Souq. The traditional-style market is particularly popular with locals in the cooler climes of evening at which point, having worked up an appetite, it’s time to explore the excellent food offering, sampling local staples such as the pancake-like regag, stuffed courgettes (kousa mahshi) and sweet dumplings flavoured with saffron and cardamom (luqaimat), followed by a more substantial traditional meal at one of the popular eateries such as Al Jasra.

If you still have any energy left, check out some of the city’s great nightlife options. Manko at InterContinental Doha offers a Parisian vibe with DJs and a cigar lounge, while the Pisco Bar at Coya at the W Doha and Sky View at La Cigale are among the top-flight night venues, as well as the Vogue Club at the Crowne Plaza Doha West Bay. There are loads of great rooftop bars to explore, too, plus al fresco shisha spots such as the terrace at the Four Seasons Doha. Look out for good value ladies’ nights and happy hour promotions, especially on weeknights.